Veteran talent agent and manager, Susan Smith, died at Cedars Sinai Medical Center on Saturday morning. She was 71. Smith lost her battle with cancer.
For 32 years, Smith owned and operated her talent agency, Susan Smith & Associates in Los Angeles, which she folded in 2001 to begin her career as a talent manager.
The company was known for receiving more Oscar nominations than any independent Hollywood agency. Beyond closing the company, she continued to represent many of her clients, including Kathy Bates, Brian Dennehy, Graham Greene, Richard Masur, and David Paymer.
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She is included in the initial issue of “Who’s Who: Women in the Entertainment Industry, the Top 50 Women of Power.” She was also the recipient of the Women in Film’s “Women of Vision Award” in Washington D.C.
A Kansas City, Mo. native, Smith attended boarding school in Waltham, Mass. and three years at Antioch College in Yellow Springs. She graduated from New York University with a degree in Art History and took post-graduate courses at the University’s Institute of Fine Arts. She later served on the Board of Trustees at Antioch College in Santa Barbara.
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Smith had split her time between homes in Los Angeles and Montecito. She is survived by friends and family, including her brother Roger.